About UWM

UW-Milwaukee is much more than buildings and books. We’re a community inspired by history, motivated by vision.

Our leadership, collaboration, passion and vision will propel you toward greater heights in research, student achievement and community engagement. We offer a uniquely relevant learning experience, educating more Wisconsin residents than any university in the world and recruiting a growing population of international students and faculty.

As the most diverse institution in the University of Wisconsin System, we’re a learning destination for more than 25,000 students.

First-generation college students arrive here straight from high school, or years later – after starting families, changing careers or serving in the military. We make learning accessible at every age, stage of life and location. At UWM, we all share the motivation to learn and to excel. We value unique perspectives and possess the talent and desire to nurture ideas that make global impact. The comforts and connections of a major metropolitan city meet the resources and expertise of a world-class research institution – we are UW-Milwaukee.

UWM and Milwaukee have it all. Join the UWM family and the Milwaukee community and grow academically and personally – accessing unique, only-at-UWM opportunities to forge lifelong friendships and chart a career path long before crossing the commencement stage.

Every UWM education takes place in the economic, cultural and entertainment capital of the state: Milwaukee – just five blocks from one of the finest classrooms and freshwater sources anywhere: Lake Michigan and its surrounding beaches, parks, playgrounds and preserves. Every city has its own energy. Milwaukee’s vibe is relaxed, mixed with a modern, do-it-your-way kind of attitude. Our home on Milwaukee’s beautiful East Side, blocks from lake Michigan and minutes (by bus) from Downtown, puts students in the center of a thriving and friendly metropolitan area that doubles as a learning laboratory. Learn more about Milwaukee

Academic Pursuit

Although the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee name and identity have changed over the last 100 years, the university and its predecessor institutions have maintained a commitment to rigorous, relevant and real-world learning and professional development for all students. World-class faculty sponsor a broad curriculum across 14 schools and colleges, inspired by academia throughout the ages and 21st-century career opportunities and scientific discovery. UWM is a university with high research activity, which means scholars from freshman year through post-doctoral fellowship have myriad opportunities to test their ideas and enhance their resumes through research, internship and international learning opportunities. UWM educates a large, dedicated and diverse community of students – evenings, weekends, online and on campus. Learn more about our academic offerings

Vibrant Campus

The living at UWM is as important, and vibrant, as the learning. From 15 NCAA Division I sports to a bustling and affordable university-inspired arts and entertainment scene there’s much to see and do when it’s time for a study break or celebration. Panther Pride is in full force year-round. UWM makes its home on a compact campus with big options. Packed into our 104 acres are movie theatres, performance venues, bowling and ping pong, art galleries, free-for-you athletics facility, a planetarium, 15 NCAA Division I sports teams, more than 300 student and professional organizations. Five convenient, connected and secure housing residences welcome freshmen, sophomores, juniors and graduate students. Four thousand students isn’t a crowd. It’s a community big enough to accommodate every incoming freshman. Learn more about life and the student experience

Only at UWM

Our profile, patents and research funding are on the rise. People are talking about UWM. UWM was named the No. 20 film school in the world. Our English Department hires, inspires and graduates internationally acclaimed novelists and poets. We’re represented by some of the most successful student athletes in the entire NCAA, including a Top Ten women’s soccer team and a full roster of honor-roll athletes.

We have the only U.S. school dedicated exclusively freshwater sciences, whose faculty boast financial support from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization. Experts and policymakers are impressed by our international, entrepreneurial faculty and 22,000-mile research facility: Lake Michigan.

We’d like to tell you more about our School of Architecture and Urban Planning. It’s the only accredited architecture school in Wisconsin, and it has earned a strong international reputation and influences regional architectural design, policy and preservation. SARUP brings some of the world’s leading design talent to UWM to teach and inspire the next generation of designers and planners – our students.

Our research portfolio has expanded across classrooms and laboratories, and in the boardroom. The UWM Research Foundation builds partnerships and develops patents that bring our faculty’s innovations – desalination, medical technology, self-healing metals, pain-relief drug compounds – to market. Research expenditures top $60 million annually, and there’s a place for even the newest researchers on this campus. Our Office of Undergraduate Research welcomes, mentors and challenges students as early as sophomore year.

We have Museum Studies and Art History programs that develop archivists, curators and anthropologists who accumulate professional experiences and relevant cultural connections as part of their UWM education.

And UWM graduates further distinguish themselves in Southeastern Wisconsin and the world by taking on jobs as public-health professionals, occupational therapists, school psychologists, classroom teachers, nurses and nurse practitioners. Where there is need and/or opportunity, UWM students and graduates don’t hesitate to step in and make a difference.

Hundreds of businesses, centers, firms and foundations recruit our students. Our students don’t wait until graduation day to begin their careers. They intern at a Fortune 500 company (or two), learn languages (we offer 20) apply their talents and energy to community change through our Institute for Service Learning (800 students, 120 partner agencies) get to know the world better through one of 300 study-abroad programs. They research and present alongside some of the world’s top scientists as early as sophomore year through our Office of Undergraduate Research.

Learning experiences from Fortune 500 internships to Chinese engineering firms and Icelandic volcanoes to urban classrooms are available to every UWM student. Every one of them is supported by faculty and staff who are experts and trailblazers in their fields.